The Hogwart's Insane Assignment
by mugglezara
Summary: Will Hermione Granger ever fall for Draco Malfoy? When will he accept to do the assignment they have to do together? Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

She couldn't believe she had been stupid enough to go off on prefect duties without Ron on this part of the school. It was the first night back at Hogwarts, and he was already following her around, probably trying to get her mad as fast as he possibly could at the earliest possible moment. Why couldn't _Draco Malfoy_ just leave her the fuck alone!? The Prince of Cats, the King of Suave, the Duke of Dandelions, you name it…But as far as she was concerned, he was nothing but dirt and filth.

"So Mudblood what brings you here alone? You know who I am don't you?" Of course she knew! How could she not know with every girl in Hogwarts chatting and giggling and flirting around him every second they possibly could? It was truly sickening. She, Hermione Granger, would never admit that she in fact really, really liked him. Well, she had a crush anyway. She wasn't planning on becoming president of "Drakey's Butt" fan club, but she knew she was impressed by the way he challenged her. No. "impressed" is not the word, but "taken by", "riveted" and "so happy" certainly are.

I mean, he was _Draco Malfoy_ after all…Gorgeous blond locks, superb pecs, and just so much money! Yes, he was to die for…

"None of your business, you twit" She was a Gryffindor, after all.

"Not so nice tonight, Granger?" And he was so Slytherin.

"You shouldn't be out tonight, Malfoy. Your prefect duties are tomorrow. That's 20 points from Slytherin."

"I wouldn't take points from my house, mudblood. It's not polite. Surely your precious Dumbledore friend taught you manners." he smirked evilly.

"What on Earth is going on here?" demanded an icy voice from behind a suite of armor. Hermione gasped in surprise, but Malfoy just sat there leaning against the wall, smirking that gorgeous smirk. How she hated his satisfaction!

"Explain yourself, Miss Granger." he demanded in his most bone-chilling whisper.

"I was just on my prefect duties, Professor." She knew she was going to get in trouble for this. She just knew it. 

"That's detention, Miss Granger, for such a haughty tongue. It so happens that this year is Muggle-Wizard exchange week." Hermione didn't know where this was going, but it couldn't be good, assuming Snape was in his usual foul mood against anything Gryffindor. "Tut, tut don't tell me you don't know what that is? You disappoint me once again." he took a minute to smile, stretching his sallow skin into a smirk. "Mr. Malfoy, you may explain this- ah, _interesting _phenomenon on your way back to your Head Dormitories with the ignorant Miss Granger."


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione still couldn't understand why Snape hadn't just explained what the assignment was. Why couldn't he just let her know what was going on without having to try to humiliate her every time he had a chance? Well it was Snape…Alright, back to the git that was supposed to be informing her of a certain assignment.

"Malfoy, will you just spit it out?"she demanded.

"Can't tell you yet, miss know-it-all."he sneered mockingly at her, not wanting to let her know how he really enjoyed this.

She sighed. Loudly. He smiled to himself, careful to hide his face. They walked in silence until they reached the portrait in front of the Head Common Room, where Hermione sighed out "Lubricated", a password chosen by Draco, of course. He smirked again, suggesting that she should walk in sometime before midnight.

"Alright" she said as she settled on the Gryffindor sofa in their Common Room. "Spit it out, Malfoy. I don't have all night, unlike some people…"

"Whoa! Can't you give it a rest? First the docking of points, then the sighing, the glares and even the smirks. I'm rubbing off on you it seems…" he stole a glance at her, satisfied. He had done it again. At his words, she threw her hands in the air, glared at him, got up and stalked to her bedroom muttering something about "boys".

He smiled to himself, gazing into the flames until he was interrupted by the bushy-haired girl.

"Well?" she demanded

He looked at her, confused. She took this moment to take in the smile on his face, the relaxed body…_Get a grip on youself, Hermione_!

"Wha-…"he started, until-

"Oh, don't give me that bull, Malfoy. Just tell me about the assignment before I hex you back to your evil mother's womb!" all she wanted to do was go to bed…Her wonderful Head Girl comforter…

"All right, all right. The Muggle-Wizard exchange is just some project that seventh years have to do. We get paired up, a girl and a boy and we go to a Muggle village or city anywhere on this planet. We get to chose where we want to go...I believe Snape wants me to be your partner…"

She stared, horrified. How could she have ever deserved this? Was this a joke played on her by evil Snape and his foul accomplice the Duke of Dandelions?

"What on Earth are you talking about, _Malfoy_?" she was getting angry now. And her head ached to rest on her pillows…

"I thought yo were smart" he jeered at her, "I just told you of the assignment, now leave before I hex you out of my Common Room.

She ran off immediately, not looking back to see the disappointed look on his face. How he wished she had retaliated…


	3. Chapter 3

"O.K." she whispered once she got back to her dormitory. _What the hell was that all about?_ First she smiles. Then he willfully talks to her without being the worst git on the planet. She couldn't exactly explain to herself why she liked as much as she did, because everything he had ever said to her had been a horrendous insult. But she was convinced he could change. Yes he was a complete sex God. Yes, he had the absolute _worst_ attitude in the entire school. But he was also second best to her in every class. She had always admired him for competing with her, as it made school much more challenging and enjoyable. Well, now apparently she had to work _with _the little prick and get the best grade possible in a Muggle area. It sounded like a good idea, and it seemed Malfoy wasn't too disgusted at the idea, so how could it possibly turn out a failure?

She fell asleep almost immediately on her extremely comfortable mattress.

When Draco Malfoy awoke the next morning, he tried to remember the dream he had just woken up from. It had had Pansy in it. That was the nightmare of it, but the other part had been good…it had something to do with the "Hogwarts Insane Assignment". And he was pretty sure Mudblood Granger had been in it too.

He stood and got dressed for his first class of Arithmancy.

Hermione woke the next morning extremely relaxed. She had Arithmancy first and she wouldn't be late. She put her uniform on and tied her hair in a bun.

At breakfast, she was greeted by her best friends Ron and Harry, who had been saving her a seat.

" 'G morning" Harry said, stifling a yawn, his eyes half-closed with sleep.

"Hello Harry, ready for work? I can't believe you have Divination first, that's a horrible schedule!" she said looking at his schedule.

"Yea I know, I have the same one." Ron said, pointedly trying to butt into the conversation. He had been doing that a lot lately.

Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw Malfoy entering the Great Hall and looking over at the Gryffindor table. Or had she been imagining things? She could have sworn he had looked over, but he was now talking to Pansy Parkinson. Hermione smirked. She knew he couldn't stand her, everyone knew and yet she wouldn't let go! It was old gossip here at Hogwarts.

"What's up, Herms?" Ron asked looking over at what Hermione was looking at.

She cast him an annoyed glance and sipped some orange juice, shrugging.

She jogged to Arithmancy as she had gotten into another argument with Ron over Quidditch. It was so ridiculous the way boys went on about it…It was only a sport and she understood the excitement, but _honestly!_

"Sorry" she mumbled at she streeked past someone really hard-chested.

"Well, if it isn't for the little Mudblood. Haven't you forgot the Assignment? We need to report back to the Great Hall, and get out instructions." He started walking back to the Great Hall, when Hermione tugged on his robes.

"Why on Earth are you being so nice to me? Is this a trick?" She couldn't dare get her hopes up yet, could she?

"Would you rather I continue to insult and humiliate you for the rest of our lives?" She liked the was _our_ sounded…

She shook her head and headed toward the Great Hall, Malfoy at her heals. He would never have admitted it to himself, but she _did_ have a nice scent. But she was a Gryffindor, and that was not legal.


	4. Chapter 4

In the Great Hall, most of the seventh years were already seated at a table facing the Head staff table. Dumbledore was getting ready to start, and Hermione sat down with Harry and Ron.

"Has anything happened yet?" she whispered to Harry. He shook his head. Ron however, had noticed that she had come with Malfoy and was glaring at him until Malfoy blew him a kiss, and Ron looked away, disgusted.

"Why on Earth did you come in with Malfoy?" he asked carefully.

"He reminded me that we had this meeting, as we are both in Arithmancy together." She hated it when Ron questioned her like this, but they were friends and she couldn't ignore them…

Dumbledore stood and cleared his throat as the last of the seventh years made their way to the table.

"As you have all by now found out of the assignment, but job is already half-finished, but my job today is to see who is going with whom and where they are going for this little trip." _Little trip?_ Wasn't this supposed to last all year in some foreign country?

She saw Malfoy smirking at her out of the corner of her eye, but refused to look over his way in case Ron might see.

"So first, you will choose your partners. It is meant to be a young man and a lady for each pairing." Everyone shifted nervously. Everyone except Ron, who looked ecstatic and was trying to catch her eye.

"Of course, there is one pairing that is already chosen because of last night's course of action. Mister Malfoy, miss Granger, will you please join me up here at the Head Table as soon as you have figured out where you will go?"

Hermione got up and walked straight to him before her best friends could ask any more questions. She sat down next to Malfoy and said "Well, where is it we're going Mister Malfoy?"

"I don't know. Any thoughts?" her stomach did a summersault. He was asking for her opinion? India? It sounded absolutely wonderful, but she couldn't let on how much she would enjoy such a trip with Malfoy, so she scowled, nodded and headed toward Dumbledore.

"You have made your decision?" he asked when Malfoy finally reached them.

"Yes professor, we would like to go to India." Malfoy looked at her. She wasn't the most disgusting thing in the world after all…She had beautiful brown hair, a fair face, and kicking curves. _Not that they're that attractive._

"When do we leave professor? How are we to get there? Who will pay for the trip expenses?" Hermione asked.

"Everything here is being financed by none other than Lucius Malfoy. You are to get there by airplane, as you are to be completely magic-free during this entire assignment, and you leave the day after tomorrow. Here are your second class tickets."

Malfoy looked at them in horror. _Second Class!_ He looked at Hermione who was waiting for his reaction.

"You did say that everything was being financed by my father, didn't you?" he asked, trying and failing to keep his voice level.

"Yes, but you see I deemed it best that you didn't get too used to comfort as India is quite a poor country. You will also both be getting shots against the many diseases circulating in that wonderful part of the planet."

Hermione smiled when she saw the look of incredulity on his face but bit her tongue almost instantly after as everyone, including Malfoy, was staring at her.

"I'm going shopping she announced and ran from the Great Hall to get her purse in the Head Dormitory. _O well. I won't be able to enjoy my bed…maybe I could just pack it with me with a shrinking spell?_


	5. Chapter 5

India . O.K. This should be easy. It's a very hot place, it's Southeast Asia, it's home of the Taj Mahal, elephants can be cars, cows are sacred, there is curry there… and _I'll finally have time to relax! _Hermione couldn't wait to go. She looked at the ticket Professor Dumbledore had conjured, and returned to her wardrobe.

_Wow! _Draco Malfoy thought. _Second class tickets! What kind of a place are we going to? I hope there aren't any rats…_He sighed and hid the ticket out of sight. It was depressing him. _At least you won't be the only wizard there. At least the girl is going to be there. _Draco started panicking now. He had no idea what they were supposed to do! Sit around and act like a muggle is one thing, but Dumbledore said they had to work for a living!

She heard a knock on her bedroom door and frowned at her clock. 2 o'clock? _Who on earth would come visit her at this hour?_

"_Ron?_" she gasped as she opened the door.

"Hey Herms, how are you? Listen I was just wondering about this crazy assignment we have to do and I'd absolutely love it if you could explain why the _fuck _you and _Malfoy _are doing it together?"

She shuddered. _O no..._ "Ron, you git, I'm only doing it with him because I got a detention and this is my punishment. Now go away, it's really late..."

"What the hell are you doing here, Weasley?" Malfoy had been awakened by their conversation and was now glaring at Ron.

"Well if it isn't the Dandy Duke. You better not lay a finger on her in India. Just because it's far away, doesn't mean she isn't_ my _girlfriend." Ron spat at Malfoy.

"O really? Is that so, Mudblood?" he demanded icily, "you failed to mention that when we were having an extremely heated make-out session...Sorry Weasel, but she is currently with me and I do not accept _my _ladies to cheat on me, unlike you. Just because you accept low quality, doesn't mean I do." He had done the trick, Ron advanced on Malfoy but he wasn't as quick as Hermione. She reached him and slapped him hard across the face, and then turning on Ron she yelled at the top of her lungs.

"HOW DARE YOU, YOU PRAT?!" she slapped him as well, even harder than she had Malfoy if that was possible. She slammed her door on both of them and started crying. Loudly. So loud, they both turned to look at the door. Ron looked extremely guilty, but Draco just smirked and walked to the door, knocking loudly.

"O come on, Granger! You aren't going to cry all night are you? I won't be able to get proper sleep! Go cry somewhere else!"

They could hear her choke out a sob and cry louder.

"Hermione! I'm sorry!" Came Ron's voice. She stopped for a second to pull a tissue from the tissue box and blow her nose loudly. Then she resumed crying, yet not so hard.

"Gra"- Ron elbowed Draco in the ribs before he could finish the word. "Hermione?" he asked forcibly.

She stopped crying, opened the door, slapped him again, and returned to her bedroom sobbing into her pillow.

Draco stared at the door incredulously. He cool feel anger pumping thru his veins. _How dare the little Mudblood?_ She stopped crying in time to hear his footsteps down the hallway and the slamming of his door. Then she heard Ron sigh and walk down the stairway, into the Common Room and out through the portrait.

O, India was going to be a _wonderful _experience.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione woke the next morning to find that Pigwidgeon was tapping on her window with a letter in its beak. How pathetic, she thought, just like Ron.

She opened the window and let Pig drop the letter on her bed and try to nibble her finger affectionately. She stuffed some owl treats into its beak and turned to the letter. She half wanted to throw the letter in the fire, but she decided to open it.

"Dear Hermione,

Will you ever forgive me? I just wanted to tell you that I love you, Hermione, and I can't stand it when someone like Malfoy talks like that about you. Actually I can't stand any guy bothering you. Meet me at Hogsmeade station early before we all leave to London?

Love,

Ron"ﾝ

She couldn't believe him...Telling her he loved her in a letter. And right after she had exploded at him, too!

Someone knocked at her door, making her jump.

Who is it?ﾝ she called.

"It's me"

"Come in"ﾝ

"Hey, ok. Um...listen...I...uh- well you see I came to say that"ﾝ- she raised her eyebrows. Draco Malfoy nervous? Uncomfortable? She couldn't help but smile.

"Are you laughing at me?ﾝ he demanded. Her smile died instantly and she frowned. He silently kicked himself. Are you ready to go? I have all my stuff ready, and as I'm sure you were too distressed last night to pack, I'd like to assist you. He shuffled his feet and pointed his wand at her and muttered :"stupefy"ﾝ.

He caught her before she fell to the ground and laid her on the bed. Ok, he thought desperately, I just have to pack before we leave to Hogsmeade. He started packing things like skirts, dresses, sunhats, flip-flops, and underwear. He gasped and tried not to look, but I mean who would've thought Granger carried all this stuff. He took extra care to take the most sexy bras and knickers he could find.

He grabbed her cloak and murmured "enervate"ﾝ. She looked dazed for a moment, then looked around and glared at him.

" I hope you know I'm going to get you for that."ﾝ She grabbed her packed trunk, took her cloak, then the letter, turned on her heal to leave but Draco grabbed her arm and twirled her around back to him and kissed her. Softly, but Hermione melted instantly.

As she didn't object, he took her bag off her shoulder and lay it on the ground while pulling her closer by the waist.

She moaned and he broke the kiss, surprised. At the pause, Hermione shook herself and ran out of the bedroom. Draco picked up her bag and ran after her as well.


	7. Chapter 7

"Granger! Hermione Granger! Hello? I'm talking to you! Will you listen already?" Draco had been chasing her all the way down the castle stairs and out onto Hogsmeade station and was trying to catch her attention.

She shrugged him off and started pulling her trunk onto the train. That is, until she realized she couldn't even lift it.

"Any assistance needed?" he asked her gently.

She looked at him and he could see her eyes glistening with tears.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione." He said and pulled her into a hug. She finally started crying, her face buried in his chest. "I'm so sorry." He felt absolutely miserable now.

She looked up and he put both his hands on either side of her face, wiping her tears with his thumbs. He gave her his cloak, as he had forgotten to take hers, and grabbed her trunk, heaving it into an empty compartment. He then went back to her and escorted her into a seat.

"Why did you have to do that?" she choked.

He was at loss for words he was so ashamed of himself. "I just wanted to speed things up a bit, and I didn't think you would want to do the assignment anymore because I had been such an insensitive, incomprehensive ass."

She sighed. _He was right…I didn't want to do it with him anymore…_

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked as caringly as he possibly could.

She shook her head but said: "It's just I hate not being able to control what is going on. I hate being controlled by someone else…" and she started crying uncontrollably.

"O Granger." He sighed. "No don't start crying again! Listen, I know you know that I'm a git and I promise I'll never do that again. I promise. I'm so sorry, Hermione. Can I call you Herms?" she nodded miserably. "Alright Herms I tell you what. To make it up to you, you can pick the seat you want to sit in on the plane, all right?"

He waited for her reply, but soon found out she had fallen asleep in his arms. He smiled and tried to make himself comfortable. Then he pulled her even closer and inhaled her scent. He moaned and she woke up. He looked at her uncomfortably for a moment, then crashed his lips against hers, kissing her as passionately as he could.


	8. Chapter 8

She never wanted to stop kissing him. Never. Unless of course she found out that someone had seen the entire thing. Yes, Harry had noticed how Hermione had let him kiss her. _No way, _he couldn't believe Hermione had fallen victim to _Draco Malfoy._

Draco pulled away from Hermione to see Harry's face through the glass compartment door and stood up so quickly, Hermione fell to the ground.

_What do I do now ? _ « What are you staring at, Potter ? » Draco asked, unsure of what tone he was supposed to be using now that he had just madeout with the Potter's best friend.

« O, nothing in particular. Hermione, could I talk to you for a minute ? » Harry choked out not meeting her eyes.

She followed mutely, giving Draco the « _what-do-I-do ? » _look.

Draco shrugged, gave her a wink and pushed her out the door to meet with Harry.

When Hermione closed the door behind her, Harry took her into a big hug and asked « How long has it been ? ».

« It isn't official. We got into this stupid fight and he…reassured me, I guess… » she didn't know what to tell him, because she didn't know what was happening herself.

He nodded, showing he understood but as soon as he looked into the compartment at the famous, rich, stubborn and hateful Draco Malfoy, he looked back at her and glared.

« I don't trust him. »

« Neither did I, but I promise he isn't as horrible as we used to think. »

« What do you mean _Isn't as horrible as we used to think ?_, he's Draco Malfoy, we don't have to think ! he is just foul and remember all the things he has done to us, Gryffindors ? Hermione I don't think you understand what I'm trying to tell you…He has either gone mental, or is trying to get back at us, _the Gryffindors._ » he said all this in one breath and when he was done, he sighed.

She looked at him and considered. « I suppose he's insane then. ».

Harry looked at her incredulously and she giggled.

« Go to that loverboy of yours, then. Go on. » he pushed her towards the compartment door.

She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. « You won't tell anyone, will you ? » he shook his head and she kissed him again.

He started walking away, but she grabbed him by the arm, hugged him tightly, and whispered « You're the best, Harry. »

Draco saw all this from the compartment and was wondering what on Earth Harry had done to deserve all of this affection, when she walked into the compartment.

She didn't know what to do, but apparently she didn't need to as Draco walked up to her, took her hand, and kissed it.

« What did Potter say ? » he asked quietly.

« He won't tell anyone, don't worry. I mean, he isn't too happy about it all, but he understands enough. He has a lovely girlfriend » and she giggled at the thought. Draco loved the sight. He picked her up and laid her on the seats. She looked surprised, but let him do what he wished.

« Now sleep. It's going to be a long way. »

Hermione stared at him, disappointed. He smiled at her and said « now, now, we can't be doing anything on the Hogwarts Express, now can we ? »

She gave him a look that clearly said _I don't give a darn, but if you do…_ and said « You tease. »


	9. Chapter 9

The train stopped, signaling the arrival at platform 93/4. Draco looked at Hermione's sleeping form and sighed. _What was he thinking ?_ He shouldn't even be thinking about muggle-borns._See ? You're going soft ! It's mudblood. Mud. Blood. _Her eyes fluttered open and he forgot what he had been thinking completely.

He went to go sit next to her but her legs were in the way. She smiled, but didn't move them. He sat on her legs and she started kicking him. _Owww !!!_ "That hurts" he gasped and grabbed her ankles. She struggled, but ended giving up.

Hermione closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Draco looked at her, amazed. "We have to go, the train stopped." She didn't budge. Draco went to kiss her, but she opened her eyes and pushed him away. _If he wants to tease me, I'm going to make his life completely miserable._ She smiled, got up, and tossed her hair aside into Draco's face, giving him a smell of her coconut conditionner.

He looked down and jumped out of his seat, saying something about talking to the conductor. She smiled in triumph and magicked her trunk into the air and out of the compartment.

Harry saw Draco walking hurriedly down the corridor and wondered what on Earth had happened between them already. Ron didn't notice anything and asked where Hermione was.

"She should be in that compartment. " he said pointing at the one he had seen her in. She came out of it and he sighed in relief at the smile on her face. _So he hadn't done anything._ " Hey Herms, had a nice trip ?" She nodded and followed them out of the train.

" So who's your partner, Harry ? And you Ron ?"

"I have Lavendar Brown." Harry said.

" I have Pansy Parkinson. It's going ot be hell. " he said grumpily.

She didn't even try to cheer him up. What was the use ? She was the most foul girl that had ever walked the planet. And it _was _going to be hell.

" Sorry, Ron. " they mumbled.

Just then Draco appeared with Pansy on his arm. He grinned evilly at Hermione and put an arm around Pansy. Hermione gave him the tiniest wink and said "Well, well, well. Malfoy I truly thought you could go no lower."

"Well it seems as if you're wrong, Miss know-it-all." He said and kissed Pansy, tongue and all, in front of all of them. He could see Hermione go red and nodded at the compartment for Pansy to follow, waiting for Hermione's outburst.

But it never came. She just stood smirking at him, waiting for him to follow the all-too-happy Pansy. But he didn't. He stood, and smirked in defeat. Hermione 1, Draco 0.

He told Pansy something in the compartment and grabbed his trunk nodding at the door. She hugged and kissed Harry on the cheek, hugged Ron and followed Draco with her levitated trunk.

"Bye Herms!" she heard her best friends call. She turned around, blew them kisses and said "Don't forget to write!" They nodded and she walked into the taxi that was supposed to be leading them to the airport.


	10. Chapter 10

Draco was just wondering how Hermione should have been in Slytherin when she snaked her arm around his waist. He smirked and pulled her close. Very Close. She didn't object and he could see the excitement forming in her face. She smiled realizing Draco was just teasing her. She pushed him away and looked at her watch. 8:04…They weren't going to miss the plane, but they sure weren't going to be early at this pace.

"Malfoy, I want you to listen to me. If we are late we can't apparate, we have to wait for the next plane." She told him. "and stop that!" she hissed as he was playing with her waistband. He smirked, but nodded affirming that he understood.

"Why can't we just aparate there?" he asked.

"Why do you think?"

"I don't know, know-it-all…It's your job to keep me informed as you will be my "partner" during this trip." He drawled, emphasizing the word partner.

She ignored it and he sighed. Of course, she wasn't like those Potter and Weasley twits who always retaliate.

"You done?" she asked him when he didn't insist. He nodded and swooped down to kiss her cheek. Yes. He had to swoop down. She smiled at his gentleness, but once again pushed him away when she saw his true intent.

They got to the airport by taxi and put all their luggage away just on time. They hopes into their second class seats. And smiled at their victory.

"Thank you" he finally said. She frowned.

"For what?"

"For being so beautiful." He said and she giggled. "Also for being Muggle-born. I mean, we never would've made it otherwise…" he didn't know what else to say._ For not hating me when all I've done is hate you for the past 6 years?_

She seemed to understand and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his. He smiled. And she loved it.

The plane finally took off and Draco almost wet himself at the feeling. Hermione smirked and poked him. He squirmed and pointed at his stomach. _Oh no._ She thought and led him to the bathroom.

He smiled when she led him to it and pulled her in with him. "I was just kidding he said and kissed as passionately as he could. _I can't help but love this guy._ She sighed longingly but jumped back as realization hit her. She loved him?

Draco sat confused and looked at her. "What is it?"

"I- I don't know." She stuttered helplessly.

He took her hands and looked into her eyes. "Yes?" he wanted her to say it. _Please say it, 'Mione. Please_…he begged with his eyes.

She put her hand on his chest._ Don't say it Herms. You can't. It's too early. No. You can't._

And without a word to Draco, she left. He sighed and stared at the door disappointment all over his face. He didn't want to go back her too early, in case she wanted to pretend she was asleep.

When he finally came back, she was asleep. Or pretending to. But he decided to play along with it and stroked her cheek saying he was sorry. "I love you" he said, but she continued to lay motionless. Half an hour later, she truly was asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

She woke up when Draco tapped her shoulder. How long had she been asleep?

"Wh- what time is it?" she said, barely stifling a yawn.

"The plane is going to land in about half an hour." Draco said, adjusting his seat back to its original position, "look out the window."

She looked and gasped. India was absolutely gorgeous. She saw the Gange spread out under them. The sun was just about to rise, and she could see pink, green and yellow rays flashing in their direction, illuminating the river and sending sparks of light on their faces. Draco put his arm around her shoulders and whispered "beautiful" into her ear, sending goose bumps all over her body. She shivered and he pulled her closer yet.

She looked into his eyes and realized they were surrounded by people. _Crap! All I can think about is how many people are watching us?_ Well, actually it was perfectly normal. Hermione, obviously unlike Draco, was pretty shy about herself in public. He must have realized this as he cleared his throat saying "what lovely weather India has".

She nodded and smiled gratefully at his understanding.

She sat back in her seat, thinking. _O.K. Relax. His eyes are gorgeous. Yes, everyone says that. His smile makes my heart want to pop out and bow down to him, but that's totally normal. I mean, all the other girls back at Hogwarts were totally in love with him too. Right? This isn't love, anyway. It's been too short a time. We're too young anyway._

_You're too young? _A voice whispered in her head.

_Of course I am! I'm turning 17 the 19__th__, of course I'm too young._

Draco watched in amazement as she muttered to herself, frowning and shaking her head every so often. He grabbed a lock of her hair and she looked up, surprised. He let go quickly, remembering her fear of public intimacy. She smiled one more time, sending butterflies to his stomach. He looked away suddenly when he remembered his father and what he would be sure to say if he found out. _Get a grip. It's your life, not his. You can do whatever you want._ _She's so pretty…_He saw a ribbon around her hand, and he gently tugged it off.

She jumped as he did this, wondering what on Earth he was doing.

He tied it around his hand.

She didn't laugh, but Draco could see the amusement in her face. Her eyes shined with tears of laughter and eyebrows wrinkled and unwrinkled as she tried to muster her amusement.

He started laughing, making Hermione's efforts crumble as she burst out laughing as well. He couldn't take it anymore, her eyes shone with tears of mirth, her beautiful laugh rang out, her chest heaved up and down, and her hair swished back and forth as she rocked in her seat.

Her laughter made him laugh harder, and by the time the plane landed, many of the people on the plane glared and swore under their breath as they exited the plane. Draco grabbed Hermione and seated her on his lap. She let him and smiled when he put his arms around her waist.

"You are ridiculous" she told him, grinning.

"You started it" he said, picking her up as one of the flight attendants told them they had to leave.

Draco handed the woman a Galleon and turned to take their bags when Hermione let out a small shriek.

"What?" Draco asked agitatedly.

"She's a Muggle!" she said.

Draco almost dropped her as he shouted for the woman to give it back.

"So sorry Madame" he said as he summoned it with his wand and quickly performed a memory charm on her.

Hermione hadn't realized she was holding her breath until they got off the plane with all they're luggage.

Draco clutched a stitch in his chest as he clambered out of the plane running.

"Well that was close." He gasped.

She slammed her fist on his chest and grabbed his wand.

"You're _not supposed_ to have a wand here! We're Muggles remember?" she seethed.

Draco massaged his chest and tried to take his wand back. She stuffed it in her jacket pocket, grabbed her robes and set off towards their new temporary home.

Draco chased after her and her trunk. She let him take the extra weight and laughed as he almost dropped it amazement at the unexpected heaviness of the luggage.

"What do you carry in this, exactly?" he asked as he struggled to carry it along with his own baggage.

"Oh you know, the usual feminine products, the clothes and the books." She said simply.

"I should have known you would have more books than anything in this."

She smirked and started walking again. They walked a few more blocks until Hermione stopped in front of a stand selling saris. He smiled. Hermione was not immune to the beautiful traditional dress for women in India.

Draco bought her a few bangles (the decorative jewelry that was used for dancing), a burgundy red sari for formal occasions and another plain pretty green that matched her eyes and hair.

He also bought the men's traditional baggy pants and shirt. Hermione looked beautiful even in the everyday weir sari and she twirled and danced happily for Draco to tell her what he thought.

He pulled her close and whispered "beautiful" in her ear. She looked up into his eyes and sighed longingly until she remembered the public place.

He took her hand in his, lacing his fingers with hers. He paid for the saris and they finally reached they're house.


	12. Chapter 12

The new house they were meant to be staying was at the heart of the city, two blocks away from the market place. Draco didn't think much of it, as it wasn't in the richest of areas, but he didn't complain as Hermione seemed to enjoy it.

"Good morning." Hermione said as she walked into the kitchen wearing the sari Draco had bought her the previous night.

He smiled at her and told her they had no food in the house.

"Let's go shopping then." She said lightly.

"Well" Draco said quietly, "I spent lots of money on the clothes yesterday. We aren't allowed to pay with our own money. That money was from Dumbledore to "start off". We have to work to gain."

Hermione face, contrarily to his expectation, lit up and smiled. "Easy! We could do anything. Would you like for us to work together or have separate, different jobs?" she asked.

He stared. He never wanted to leave her side again!_ Get a grip, Draco; _he thought quickly, _she doesn't want a stalker._

"I personally think we should stick together at least for a few weeks." Hermione said, thinking neither of them could do work in the middle of a city where barely anyone spoke their language.

He grinned and said "You just can't keep your eyes off me, can you?"

His genuine smile made her body ache to be held by him. As though reading her mind, he swept her off his feet and carried her outside looking for an American consulate. She was giggling at a little puppy in the street when someone threw an orange at Draco.

Draco almost dropped Hermione in shock and looked around wildly until he spotted a bunch of men which were grouped around a cart of fresh fruit.

"She is not married!" The eldest-looking man shouted at Draco angrily "she is not married and yet they act so fondly in public. How dare they?"

"Oh" Hermione breathed. Suddenly she had an idea.

Draco looked indignantly at Hermione, waiting for her to retaliate, but nothing came. The group of men waited expectantly, but nothing happened.

"Vhere ve cum frrum" Hermione said in as much of a Bulgarian accent as she could, "ve doo not veir vedding rrings vhen ve ar in a contry forreign."

Draco quickly getting over his surprise nodded vigorously at her words. She took his hands in hers and told him quietly to take her in his arms once more.

He obeyed silently and he started walking again, when the eldest man stopped him.

Hermione could feel how tense he was, so she rubbed his arms, trying to calm his nerves. He attempted a smile to show his attitude, but it looked more like a grimace to her.

The eldest man showed them the cart of fruit and said "Apologies, sir. We thought you were not yet married. You take the fruit with you."

Hermione bowed to the old man the way she knew was respectful and nudged Draco to thank him and take the fruit.

"Thank you" Draco said, shaking the man's hand and grasping the cart.

The men all nodded gravely and left.

"What on Earth was all that about?" Draco half shouted.

She took his arm and smiled.

"We definitely need to stick together, Mr. Malfoy." She said shyly.

"Oh yes, Mrs. Malfoy. It is necessary that we stay "togezer"". He smirked.

They walked back to their new house, arms locked, pushing the cart.

"Well at least we have breakfast now" Hermione mused as they returned to the apartment.


	13. Chapter 13

When they returned to the house, Hermione took the cart of fruit into the kitchen while Draco started looking in a newspaper he had picked up, trying to find jobs for the both of them.

She walked into their "living room" which consisted of a lumpy couch and a small wooden coffee table. Hermione had made Draco sleep on the couch as she took the only bed in the bedroom.

She emerged from the kitchen holding two bowls of cut oranges. As she handed him his bowl, he pulled her on top of him knocking the bowl out of her hands. It toppled onto the floor as Draco leaned his face into hers, demanding a kiss.

Hermione, ignoring the spilt fruit, grabbed his face into her hands and pulled him towards her, kissing him all the way down.

Surprised at her roughness, he smiled and snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer yet.

He muffled her laughter by gently slipping his tongue into her mouth. She didn't hesitate, but friendly greeted it with a mix of passion and eagerness.

He looked into her eyes for a moment, trying to sense what she was feeling when he finally caught on; she was teasing him. Again!

He smirked to himself, pretending not to have noticed. He started unbuttoning her shirt and she started staring at him. _Is this for real?_ She thought wildly, deciding not to play along with it in. If he was serious, then why would he act like that? She smirked realizing he had noticed her teasing.

She pulled away quickly and sat on his lap, eating his fruit as hers had spilt. He marveled at her calamity and kissed her cheek.

"You're a very smart witch, Miss Granger" he stated finally, munching on his orange.

"I beg your pardon?" she mock demanded, "its Mrs. Malfoy to you."

He smirked and nodded. "Forgive my error. I am not under the impression we had a ceremony, which should have been followed by a honeymoon."

She smirked.


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione woke up the next morning in someone's arms and she froze, not daring to open her eyes but felt the hard mass hugging her. She noticed the sculpted arm muscles and opened her eyes dreamily. _It hadn't been a dream_. They hadn't done anything too crazy the night before but the time Hermione had spent with Draco made her giggle slightly. _God, he was a fantastic kisser…_She sighed.

Draco woke at the sound and gasped when his eyes finally focused, realizing who she was.

"_What happened?_" he asked pulling the sheets up to his chin, causing Hermione to grin and scare him more.

"Nothing happened, Dra- I mean Malfoy." She replied as calmly as she could.

He glared at her and stood to get up, dragging the blankets with him. She didn't resist as India was a pretty hot country in general, but smirked as he looked down at her. She was wearing the everyday sari Draco had given her and glowed as the sun coming through the window shone on her.

"What are you staring at, _darling_?" she said, slowly advancing.

Draco gulped.

"Do you mind if I come _closer_?" she almost whispered, reaching the end of the bed.

"No-nothing the…… ma-matter" he choked, looking her up and down. Her smirk grew and reached up for him to lay back on the bed on her. Draco let her pull him down without objection. She captured his lips with her and they both completely sank into the bed, and he rolled Hermione so that she sat on his stomach.

She smiled down at him but didn't budge, forcing his breathing to shallow. He counted to ten in his head and then decided that he was going to go in for the kill if she wasn't. Just as Draco had grabbed her waist, an owl flew in through the window and landed on the sofa.

Draco cursed loudly as Hermione got up to see who it was from. She shushed him with a kiss and read the letter aloud:

_Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy,_

_I have just received news from the Indian Ministry of Magic that you have both entered the country and I trust that you are behaving yourselves admirably_. Draco smirked at that, massaging her lower back as she read. _as ambassadors of the school. Please owl me back as soon as possible to confirm your safe stay._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Dumbledore_

She looked at Draco and wondered how they had gotten so close. She sighed…_Could this even be called close? He's just a horny young man on the verge of fucking me._ _It's not going to be like this._ She thought savagely, biting her lip.

"Don't do that" he pleaded, kissing her deeply, melting all of her concerns away.

"Do what?" she asked, her lips brushing against his as she hadn't pulled away properly.

"Don't over analyze things." He murmured, kissing her forehead.

His words made her snap out of her wonderland in a second. "So you expect me to just let you fuck me without a word?" she snapped angrily, "I have principles you know. Morals. Things that you appear to never have heard of…I'm not one of your stupid Slytherin whores, _Malfoy." _She spat the last word and ran out of their house up the street and out of sight.

It took a while for Draco to understand why she was so angry. His fists clenched and he began pacing the room, demanding an explication. _She had been the one to start all this, bloody Gryffindor! Granger had led him on and it was __his_ _fault that he wanted to bang her?_ Maybe she had the right to be mad at him for developing feelings for her so early on in their trip, but there was no way he was going to be sorry for his raging hormones when she was clearly the one that egged him on.

He left the house angrily, rushing onto the street to go make her apologize so they could start their lives in the new country.

_Girls._ He thought bitterly.


	15. Chapter 15

Hermione ran as fast as she could down the alley looking for a refuge. She ran into a small bookstore and hid herself behind the furthest shell, falling to her hands and knees sobbing uncontrollably. _This is your entire fault._ A small voice in her head and she shook it, trying to rid herself of her anger at being stuck in India with Malfoy for a year. She longed to be with her best friends Harry and Ron, and longed to not care for Malfoy as she did.

She didn't know how long she had been choking and hiccupping over all of her fears when she sensed someone falling to their knees and holding her where she sat.

Draco had found her easily as he had looked around and located the only bookstore in the town. It wasn't like him at all, but he knew there was something about Hermione Granger that made him want to sing. She hadn't looked up, but was sobbing in his chest, letting the mystery man comfort her like none other could.

After a few minutes, she had controlled her shaking and had looked up into her helper's eyes causing her to start crying all over again, struggling against him. Draco grabbed her face in his hands and tried to comfort her but was lost. Why did he feel so strongly about her? Did he _love_ her? He couldn't…He was Draco Malfoy, pureblood and heir to one of the largest fortunes in Britain.

He was almost unsure as to what he supposed to do and he tried to show her that, but her tears wouldn't stop flowing and he began to worry. Hermione looked at him through her beautiful brown eyes, tears in her lashes, her honey-colored locks ruffled all about her face. Draco couldn't help it and leaned in to kiss her trying to show her how he felt because he knew he would never tell her.

_I love you _he tried to send her by some sort of eye vision he was hoping she would understand.

She sat there looking at him, stunned by what she saw. _I love you_ she transmitted and knew by the look in his eyes that he had understood. They held each other until the shopkeeper had demanded they leave if they were not there to purchase any of his books. They giggled and stood. Draco pulled Hermione onto his back and gave her a piggy-back ride until the house where they collapsed onto the bed from exhaustion.

Hermione fell asleep instantly, fatigued by her tears. Draco stood awake holding Hermione, his dearest. He wanted nothing else in the world than her but knew they could be somehow. He had to have her, no matter what it took. And with a smile curving his lips, Draco held Hermione for the deepest most peaceful slumber either would ever have.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open as she felt Draco disentangling himself from her. She smiled and pretended to sleep on, trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

Draco rummaged around their bags for a quill and a piece of parchment quietly, not wanting to wake the angel that currently slept on the bed. He saw her smile and wondered what she could be dreaming about. _Probably me_, he thought smugly. He pulled out a handsome quill and wrote:

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_We have indeed arrived and are installed on 7 Laelita street. Hopefully, we have not worried you too much and ensure you that our stay is going quite well._

_The seventh years,_

_Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy_

Hermione giggled as she read over his shoulder.

"Are you sure you wrote that?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Draco asked defensively taking in her messy hair and bleary eyes. He loved to see her so open, so innocent and sweet.'

She smiled. "well it kind of looks like I wrote it, I mean with the politeness to Professor Dumbledore, I'm sure he'll think I wrote that…" she trailed off and giggled at the look of mock horror on his face.

He sighed longingly at her gorgeous smile "you know, would-be Mrs. Malfoy, my "wife" could just be rubbing off on me"

Hermione let him engulf her into a hug and she sighed dreamily, _was this for real?_


	16. Chapter 16

Hermione and Draco walked side by side down Laelita Street wondering where to start looking for their new jobs. Hermione had written the address of every possible one, now leading Draco to their first destination: zoo-keeping. Hermione smiled as Draco scanned the list, horror clearly plastered across his face.

"What the hell _is this?_" he asked disgustedly pointing at the _hotel receptionist_ on the list.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked amused, "that may actually be a very likely job for you, miss prissy. I mean honestly, what's the probability that you're going to be working as a zookeeper?"

Draco looked at the list once more, "Are we going to have separate jobs?"

"I thought we'd agreed on doing this together?"

"Yea…well. I doubt you would rather do hotel receptionist than librarian" he said jabbing his finger at the _librarian_ at the bottom of the list.

"Well you are quite correct" she said vaguely, pointing at the road to their left. "It's this way."

Draco looked sadly at the piece of paper, "Do we actually have to keep these for the rest of the year?"

"It's not like muggles to switch jobs too quickly, but maybe we can arrange something. I don't know, we might just not have to…You'd get us fired easy, anyway."

Draco glared at her and she kept walking with her eyes on him, smirking widely. It wasn't until she bumped into someone that she realized how careless she'd been acting.

"Beg pardon" she said quickly, massaging her sore shoulder.

"Hermione Granger?" asked a dreamy voice.

She had time to see the look of impatience Draco was giving the person before she realized who it was.

"Luna!" she cried happily, hugging her.

"Oh, it's wonderful to see you." Luna Lovegood sighed, eyeing Draco mysteriously. "And how are you, Draco Malfoy?"

He stared at her until Hermione kicked him and he stared down at her with cold eyes. "What are you doing in this mud pit? Did Dumbledore send you?"

Luna wasn't even taken aback by his rude tone. "No actually, he didn't. Albus Dumbledore didn't urge me to take a weekend trip to India to find Weedle-Needles. They're originally from South-Eastern Asia, India seemed to be the right stop. If I don't find them here, I'll go to China…"She trailed off smiling slightly as she noticed Draco staring at Hermione, who was blushing immensely for some reason.

"I think I should be on my way though…"again she looked at them both, Draco jumping out of his reverie and glaring at her while Hermione's face seemed to be lit on fire.

"Bye then" Hermione said hurriedly, hugging her friend again. "Nice seeing you."

Luna nodded at Hermione and took Draco's hand, kissing it and bowing to the tree next to them. "Thanks Laelita" she muttered and disapparated.

Draco looked like the vein near his temple was about to explode in the effort of controlling his emotions.

"She kissed my hand!" he cried, his voice high-pitched.

Hermione smiled and took his hand, kissing it. "There. All better." Draco grimaced slightly and she giggled some more, dragging him to their first destination of the day.

Hermione opened the gate to the zoo and called in Indian "Mai nishAnA chhoTA alabelA Mr. Chandresh…" she trailed off noticing a note on the desk.

Draco stared at her, "Since when do you know how to speak Indian?" He asked bluntly.

Hermione sighed and said "It's Hindi, first of all. Also, I don't know anything without this. She pulled a book out of her bag and shoved it at him, grabbing the note. She sighed and pulled at the book she had given Draco, trying to translate the note.

"It says we can have the job without an interview" she said after a few minutes.

"What? But I didn't want this stinking job in the first place!"

"Well I have to admit I don't like it. I mean it must not be a very popular job if he's willing to give it to anyone…"

And they were off to their next stop, Hermione having left a note to the shopkeeper telling him they'd found something already.

"What next?" Draco asked dramatically.

"Umm…Orange vender." She said glancing at the list.

"Hermione, have you not had enough experience with oranges for a lifetime?" she smiled and shook her head.

"We might get free food…Really handy because food is expensive. You can't just transfigure things. We don't have house-elves either…" Draco hiccupped loudly and turned on her.

"I can't cook!" he exclaimed miserably, grabbing the list. "I don't want to only be eating oranges either."

"We aren't rich here, Malfoy, so unless we get a decent paying job we won't starve. This is India, remember? Millions of people are hungry here, WAKE UP!" and she stalked off to their next destination.

"Granger, listen here." He said taking a hold of her wrist and holding on firmly, "I'm not an ordinary person as you may or may not remember. I'm a Malfoy, and I won't tolerate this kind of behavior when I'm above you."

She slapped him and disapparated on the spot, not looking to see if anyone was around. Draco was fuming but realized he needed her to survive in a foreign country without magic.

He decided to give her a minute by walking back to the house. When he arrived she wasn't there, her belongings gone along with half of the oranges. His temper was starting to rise…_How dare the scum take off like that? They had to pay rent, too! Disgusting. When he found her, he'd punish her for this._


End file.
